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The Ministry
"... who but us? Alas there is no one. I vow, in front of you, my pious and most loyal retainers, that the boundary of this ministry is the last Kingdom, the last village and the last man of the furthermost lands, for where we are not heard, not accepted nor known, then their is progress yet to be made... "' '' Calcar Trevi's 'ultima terminus' speech''' The Ministry refers to an eighteen year long period between 464EK and 482EK of Connoran and Vodanian history in which a theocracy (known as The Ministry) reigned. The Ministry came to power in the first republic of Connora, overthrowing the weak government and replacing the fledgling democracy with the High Council. The High Council was directed by a de-facto dictator in control of all facets of government policy, known as the Supreme Prelate or simply the Prelate. The Supreme Prelate was Calcar Trevi. Calcar Trevi masterminded the rise of the theocracy in Connora and its expansion to, and eventual dominance over, Vodania. The Ministry then made a failed bid to also expand to Kulia in 479EK, The Ministry's armada, known as the fleet of Divine Deliverance, was decimated by the Kulian navy. Less than a year later in 480EK there was a schism within the Ministry with Vodania seceding from the largely Connoran dominated regime, though the new Vodanian ministry would keep the Liturgy (the holy text of the ministry) and many of its practices even declaring for a new Prelate, Ziphon, who assumed the title Calcar the second despite Calcar himself being alive and well. While Ziphon stabilised the situation within the Vodanian Ministry following the destruction of the fleet, the Connoran Ministry was severely undermined and its power was quickly diminished. In 482EK a short war between rebels and loyalists broke out, many loyalists either deserted or left for Vodania and Calcar Trevi was shortly thereafter deposed and executed in 482EK. Following Trevi's death the second Connoran Republic was proclaimed. The death of Calcar Trevi generally marks the end of the Ministry, though the Vodanian Ministry would last two more years until it fractured in 484EK, following the assassination of Ziphon in 483EK. However the final loyalists would only be conclusively defeated in 501EK. Age of Desolation The Ministry's calendar was marked in so-called 'ages', the first of these was the Age of Desolation, which lasted from 451EK to 464EK. The Age of Desolation, known commonly as the era of the two republics, began in 451EK with the founding of the Republic of Connora. It was during this time that the new republic was severely weakened due to ever increasing factionalism within the new political system. This age ended with Calcar Trevi's theocratic coup in 464EK. Trevi found much support within the disgruntled public, who like him, shared a derisive attitude toward the democratic government. Age of Lustration The Age of Lustration began in 464EK with the founding of the new Theocracy and ended in 477EK. Priests and The Liturgy were sent to all corners of Dotan to preach and spread the word of the Ministry. Government's hostile to Trevi and his Liturgy simply blocked, banned and confiscated all of his works crossing into their lands, however, Trevi's priests would acheive moderate success in Vodania where, the many feuding city states and tribes failed to combat the spread of Trevi's Liturgy. Between 469EK and 475EK Vodania was conquered by the Ministry. Converted city states would pledge allegiance to Trevi, and others saw an oath of allegiance as a simple means to better their position over their neighbouring rivals. This process of scheming and orchestrating local takeovers of city states halted in 473EK (by which point most had already aligned with the Ministry) when Trevi called for direct action against the remaining cluster of resistors. In 473EK the Fleet of Closing Justice departed Connora to subdue the various strongholds and vigilantes opposing the Ministry's influence. From 473EK to 475EK a joint Vodanian-Connoran force campaigned around Vodania under the command of the native Vodanian, Marshal Ziphon. The Age of Lustration ended in 477EK when the final remnants of Kavosi resistance were subdued. Age of Propitiation The Age of Propitiation began in 477EK and ended in 482EK, during this period the Theocracy became increasingly unstable: a disastrous attempt to overthrow the "Kulian oppressors" ended in the near complete destruction of the Ministry's military and any hope of further expansion. The Fleet of Divine Deliverance was assembled in 478EK, it was at that point the largest naval force ever assembled and much confidence was placed in its ability to swiftly overwhelm the once prestigious Kulian navy, then thought to be old and ineffective. The Ministry's armada was however soundly crushed, the High Council never truly recovered from the shocking (though not entirely unpredictable) defeat. With the navy, and much of the embarked army, now gone, the Ministry entered an irreversible decline. In 479EK their was a schism within the ministry, realising the inevitable fate of the Ministry, Ziphon took control of the Ministry's Vodanian holdings and declared himself the true Prelate, while Calcar, insisting that Ziphon was little more than a heretic, retained his grip on Connora. It is alleged that Ziphon was alerted to an immanent coup by an unknown source and as a result seized control of Vodania. Both Prelates attempted to distribute religious propaganda to their own and rivals' citizens though it seemed to have little effect, the citizens of both Vodania and Connora had grown resentful of their respective Ministerial authorities, and talk of change was common place in the streets. In 482EK Calcar Trevi received 'the letter of abnegation' in which the majority of his own military staff and other influential figures demanded Trevi step down from the position of Prelate. Trevi refused the offer and announced his intentions to execute all of his dissident generals. Trevi was subsequently deposed and executed in a brief month long rebellion. Following Trevi's death the second republic of Connora was declared. Age of Tribulation The last age of the Prelate (though not officially a Prelate Calander age) began in 482EK following the end of the Connoran Ministry and ended in 501EK when the final loyalists to the Ministry were defeated. The Vodanian Ministry, following Trevi's death, quickly began to deteriorate, Ziphon proclaimed a new autonomous system in 482EK however by 483EK the Kavosi tribes and the southern most isles had already seceded, and many of the old merchant families and guilds were positioning themselves to best exploit the collapse of the Vodanian Ministry. Ziphon and his retinue were ambushed and killed in the streets of Haiquds in 483EK by an unknown group of assailants. In the year that followed, cities and regions began to hurriedly declare their independence. A few cities however proclaimed their continued loyalty to the Ministry, which by this point lacked a Prelate and a capital. From 484EK until 501EK the remaining loyalists slowly disappeared and eventually the last independent loyalist city, Port Lucioles, was captured as part of a larger conflict between two rival trade leagues.